Risk and Reward: Beating the Odds
by draconichybrid
Summary: Reading The Tower and The Hive, I couldn't help wondering where the 'lesser' Talents were.... Well, here's a story where the Primes are out of their element, and various 'lesser' Talents have to step in and pick up the slack. Working Title.
1. Dramatis Personae

_**Dramatis Personae**_

Note: This is _very_ much a Work-In-Progress, and will evolve with the rest of the story. Tyra's parents, among others don't get a mention because this is a listing of _major_ players, and currently, her parents get little to no onscreen time -- period.

Talent:

Tyra Brennan: T-4 'port / T-1 'path / T-1 empath. Planet of Origin: Altair. Only child of Thomas and Angela Brennan. Mind-Mate: None/RAFO_  
Loki's Wager_ – Tyra can manipulate chance (Empathy and Telepathy). Currently manifests in two different ways:  
* Tyra's mental shields closely resemble a thermos. Each of the barriers can be modulated independently of the other, giving her complete control of who accesses her mind and who doesn't.  
* Tyra can breeze through skullcaps, natural shields, and T-shields as if they didn't exist, or she can choose to restrict her probes and such to match those of _any_ T-Rating.  
* Tyra's 'portation Rating _is not_ a mistake. She's a T-4 'porter for several reasons, the most important to the plot is that she's not strong enough to be a Prime, and her personality is such that the only other place to put her is where I want her to end up.

Petra Lyon: Prime. Planet of Origin: Iota Aurigae. Eighth child of Damia and Afra Lyon. 'Dinis Jn and Thv. Mind-Mate: None/RAFO_  
Catalytic Link_ – Damia Raven-Lyon's signature Talent.  
Comes into play when involved in a merge (even if she's not the focus), increasing the effective Talent output available to the focus of the merge by half the collective strength of the merge.

Flavia Bastianmajani: Earth Prime. native planet Altair. Granddaughter of Bastian and Maharanjani (T-2, PoO: Altair). Post-TTATH duties: Star League/FT&T Liaison during the Hiver Pacification. Mind-Mate: None/RAFO.

Mundane (Non-Talented):

None yet


	2. Chapter 1: Incident

**Chapter One: Incident**

_Tyra! Code Red. Rachel's run off again!_ Tyra heard Rachel's 'buddy' Roberto 'path her.

Warily -- suspecting an LEO trap -- she focuses on an image of little Rachel. Probing Rachel's mind, Tyra scans her thoughts. When they check out, she hooks into Rachel's hearing and vision next.

_Nothing but a crowd._ Tyra thinks, furiously scanning Rachel's surroundings through their link, planning the upcoming rescue op in her head.

Noticing something familiar on the edge of the square, Tyra focuses on identifying... _LEO Crowd Control Talents? Rachel is standing on the edge of a flaming riot!_

Quickly mobilizing the oldest, maturest of her charges, she orders them to meet her at the Dock Nine assembly point – the closest she can afford to 'port herself to Rachel, as it is right outside the LEO security perimeter SOP calls for in an Incident of this magnitude.

Fully aware of the irony, she blesses her mother for talking so much about work at the dinner table when she was little. _If she knew I was this close to an Incident, she'd be cursing my presence. Anu's Grace! She'd probably try and pin the blame on_ me, she thinks sadly.

Maintaining her contact with Rachel's mind, Tyra 'ports herself to the assembly point: an alleyway just off Dock Nine.

_Rachel?_ she 'paths.  
_Yes, Tyra?_ comes the instant response.  
_Rachel, meet me at Dock Nine NOW! You're about to – Dammit!_  
_Ok, time for a change of plans_, Tyra thinks. _Rachel, I'm porting you out of there NOW!_ Tyra 'paths as she 'ports her youngest charge directly inside the hidden Dock Nine rest area. _Everyone else, Omega Signal!_

Tyra's Empathic Talent making it clear that the LEO team is rapidly losing control of the Incident, Tyra reluctantly 'paths on a wide band. _LEO Team, reinforcements coming your way._

'Porting on one of the balconies edging the square, she taps into the electrical grid. 'pathing once again on the same wide band as before, Tyra crisply invokes an official LEO Override Code:

_G & H! G & H! I want a wide open mind from every LEO Talent within a two-block radius of the Four Corners Plaza.  
Now is NOT the time for pranks, young lady. In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of busy right now,_ an unknown LEO Talent 'paths back.  
_Stubborn fool! This is NOT a bloody prank! I have the Talent you need to end this damn Incident!_ Tyra 'paths back hotly.  
_Then end it already, missy,_ the LEO Talent 'paths back. _That is, if you really can,_ it continues skeptically.  
_I need more power to do that, sir!_ Tyra pleads. The LEO Talent is clearly someone who is used to having his orders obeyed without question.  
_Thought you'd try and back out, missy._ the LEO team leader 'paths. _Now that we've established what a girly girl you are, why don't you go play with your dollies and leave this to the professionals?_  
_Sir, can you get enough LEO heft here before you lose control of this crowd completely? You're barely smothering flashpoints before they can erupt into a full-on firestorm as it is. You know as well as I do what happens then -- a lot of innocent people are going to die._ she counters, incensed at his condescending tone and the "team leader's" obvious stubborn adherence to procedure.  
_No, Miss._ he 'paths back respectfully, obviously surprised to hear this unknown Talent talking sense after he'd dismissed her from the equation.  
_Then what do you have to lose, sir? Do you think I'm liking the necessity of this any more than you? I could very well burn us all out_ Mearaidhe. _I've come up with a little trick that_ should _work... with enough heft behind it -- which I'm betting is more than you can claim. You've clearly run out of ideas, and innocent lives literally hang in the balance. Honestly, sir, isn't a small possibility of success better than none at all?_ Tyra continues in a cold fury.  
_You're right, Miss -- I_ don't _have any better ideas. *sigh* You win, Miss. Do as the unknown Talent asks, people. That's an order!_ he 'paths

Gathering the merge, Tyra is all set. Carefully confining her actions to the square -- painfully aware that even the slightest miscalculation could easily prove fatal ... not only to herself, but the entire Merge -- _There's no other choice, dammit!_ she tells herself privately.

Opening her thoughts to the entire meld, she 'paths them through the Meld. _If this doesn't work, we're all dead. I'm sorry, but this truly is the only way. Believe me, I wish there were another._

Channeling the entire remaining strength of the Merge, Tyra blankets the square with a powerful negative empathy field -- a trick she came up with a few years ago to help her and her charges avoid LEO agents -- she observes her 'empathy vortex' long enough to confirm that the trick has in fact succeeded in forcing the crowd to sleep.

Releasing the other minds, she remains in gesalt for several heartbeats, using the energy to slightly recharge her Talent.

'Porting away, she releases the gesalt -- but not before she 'hears' a surprised, _Holy shit, she did it! ... Hey, I'd recognize --_

Now in an alley 5 blocks away, she activates her unique Talent, this time using it to harden her shields, seeking to hide her presence. Before she can finish, however, one of the more perceptive LEOs involved in the Incident appears, having tracked her "parapsychic fingerprint" and 'ported just a few feet away.

Probing Tyra's mind, the LEO barely manages to confirm her identity and get a relative measure of her Talent before Tyra's hardened shields break his probe.

"Tyra Brennan, you're under arrest. Before I haul you downtown, I'm curious: why did you help us contain that Incident? Benevolence is not something that typically fits the profile of a Level 5 fugitive."

"Level 5?" Tyra asks, clearly surprised to hear that she's been classified that high, and just as clearly understanding how screwed she is if the LEO sticks to SOP.

"Damn that bitch to the Seven Hells!" she continues, obviously pissed off. "Ask your precious Angela, LEO. You probably wouldn't believe me even if I tried to explain myself."

Pausing to consider her options, Tyra visibly struggles to control her rage.

Succeeding, she calmly addresses her captor. "On second thought, how badly do you want to know the answer? Probe my mind and find out, or simply port me to the Sector correctional facility and pass the responsibility to someone else -- I don't really care which at this point."

With that, Tyra drops her shield completely.

"Is this some kind of trick?" the LEO agent asks warily.

"No, sir. Something from my Celtic heritage, actually. I'm making a leap of faith, trusting you as I would a kinsman. It comes down to a question of choice, sir: Will you betray my trust, or will you honor it?"

Probing her mind, he comes across...

_"Come back here, you little whore!" one of the two boys ordered as I ran back towards the street._

Still running, I've almost made it back to the street when...

"Gotcha!" one of the rapist thugs crows evilly as his meaty hand catches my ankle. Tearing off my uniform, the other forces my legs open.

"Ah! You're gonna enjoy this as much as I will." As the rapist starts to reach between my legs, I abandon my body, trying to reach that safe place in my mind Mother was always telling me was a last defense. A power _roars to life, and reality shifts._

Looking around, I recognize the living room at home. "Tyra! I didn't hear you come – Goddess! What happened? Who did this to you?"

"Mom! On my way home from school, two thugs yanked me into an alleyway with them and tried to rape me! I almost got away, but they caught me again! I was so scared, and when I tried to reach that safe place you told me about as a last defense against rapists and culties, reality did this weird shifting thing all of a sudden, and I just found myself here!"

"You're a Talent!" she breathes, clearly shocked. Suddenly furious, she screams at me. "You filthy little demoness! How dare you abandon the Mother Goddess? How many times have I told you to stay in the light?! And you still sold your soul, demoness!! Talent is filthy, evil, and damning … and you wallowed in it anyways!"

I'm sure she's going to beat me! I can't stay here! I won't _stay here!_

Reality shifts again, and I find myself just outside the schoolyard gates....

With that, Tyra felt his probe withdraw.

"That's it?" she begins in shocked disbelief. "You're not going to mindfreeze me and drag me down to LEO Headquarters?"

"Why should I? Your mother is my partner, Tyra. You may not take this as a compliment, but you are clearly your mother's daughter." the LEO began. "I don't know what it must have cost you to leave yourself open and vulnerable like that. I'm taking you straight to the Commissioner, Tyra. You haven't done anything illegal. I can see that you've _bent_ the Code plenty of times -- but _bending_ the Code is not the same as _breaking_ the Code."

Wary as hell again, Tyra asks, "How do I know you're not playing me? Deception-as-needed is SOP for you LEO types."

"You don't." he replies honestly with a dismissive shrug. "How badly do you want to know, Tyra? Probe my mind and decide for yourself. As you pointed out a couple of minutes ago, it comes down to a question of choice."

With that, the LEO Agent drops his shields completely; with a shrug, Tyra does as he suggests.

"Agent Harold Lexington, you clearly haven't been lying to me, and your intentions seem honorable. I won't betray your trust, either. I believe that if we merge, I can 'port us there."


	3. Chapter 2: The Commissioner

**Chapter Two: The Commissioner**

Arriving in the Commissioner's spacious office as expected, Agent Lexington opens Tyra's defense with a respectful "Commissioner, sir."

"Yes, Harold, what is it? Who is that?" the Commissioner asks in response.

"Unfortunately, I'm not a liberty to say, sir." he answers.

"'Not at liberty to say'? I'm your fucking boss … or did you forget that little fact Harold?" the Commissioner counters, visibly annoyed.

"This young lady has levied an accusation against one of our own, and chooses to invoke Article Thirty-Nine, paragraph 'C'. So again, unfortunately I'm not at liberty to say." Agent Lexington -- Harold -- counters.

Turning to face Tyra, the Commissioner asks her "Who are you accusing, young lady?"

Her voice low and feral, dripping with righteous fury, Tyra replies "Angela Brennan, sir. Sargent, First Class." Her voice breaking slightly, she drags the words next two out of her mouth. "My … Mother."

Pressing the intercom button with his finger, the Commissioner calls "This is the Commissioner. Angela Brennan, report to my office. NOW."

Removing his finger, the Commissioner looks at Tyra dismissively, saying "I don't know what game you're playing, Tyra. I've got to admit, though -- this is a lot more nerve than I thought a little rat-fink coward like you would have. Obviously the past three years have been far kinder to you than you deserve."

Just then, Angela walks in. "Boss, you wanted to see...." she starts to ask. Noticing Tyra, she finishes her question. "...me? So, my crazy bitch of a daughter is here. Wait, why is she here in this office? As a Class 5 felon -- and I _know_ Tyra is Class 5, as I gave her that rating myself? She should be in a maximum security shielded cell somewhere." she asks the Commissioner.

Drawing on all the inner strength she's managed to acquire over the past three years, Tyra forces her rage back, locking it away.

Her voice clear, controlled, and icy cold, Tyra says... "_I'm_ the crazy bitch? Exactly what 'crime' did you charge me with to justify a Level 5 rating, Angela? Other than escaping from rapist thugs and running away from home when you decided I should have let them have their 'fun' and tried to beat me, that is. Strictly for the record, of course."

"See, sir? I told you that she's crazy. Why would..." Angela sputters indignantly.

"Angela, your daughter is a Talent. Not that you needed to be told." Harold interjects.

"No, I didn't, Harold. What does..." begins Angela, still sputtering.

"She came out of nowhere and helped us out with the Four Corners Plaza Incident, Angela." Harold told her, obviously annoyed with his partner.

Incredulous, the Commissioner jumps in again, Angela joining him in saying "That was HER?"

The Commissioner continues, "Granted, an unknown female Talent put that crowd down … but surely you're either joking or mistaken if you're crediting Tyra, Harold."

"No sir, I'm not mistaken! I _was_ there, after all." he replied, recounting events from his perspective.

"My Tyra actually took a leap of faith? She just dropped her defenses and stood there waiting for you to mindfreeze her, Harold?" Angela asked her partner incredulously.

Facing Tyra and looking her in the eye, she addressed her daughter "I'm impressed. I don't think I would have had the courage to do what you did. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

The Commissioner sticks out his hand. "I've known Agent Lexington here his entire LEO career. If he says something unequivocally happened a certain way... well, I for one personally consider his word to be Gospel. On behalf of all of us here at LEO, I offer you our sincere gratitude and apologies. I also dismiss all charges filed against against you in by your mother with this Agency. Not that a simple apology can return the years this Agency has stolen from you...."

Tears in her eyes, Tyra interrupts the Commissioner, saying, "T-Th-thank you, sir. I would ask that you NOT punish my mother in any way for her part in all of this. When my Talent manifested, she was simply afraid that I didn't have the personality to use my gifts correctly."

Shocked at her daughter's unexpected mercy, Angela breathes, "You would really let me off that easily, Tyra?"

"Yes, Mom, I would." Tyra answers. Ticking off her points with her fingers as she lists them, Tyra continues, "One, I know how much that apology cost you. Two, if I hadn't been driven into hiding, I never would have had a reason to come up with the little trick that saved the day today, and a lot of people would be dead right now that aren't.

Tyra shrugs dismissively and flashes an an impish smile at her mother before finishing her speech with, "Finally, as you've always pointed out: '_Más dorcha an oíche, más gile na réaltaí_.'"

Wrapping her arms around her daughter, Angela hugs Tyra tightly to her chest. Tears in her eyes now, Angela whispers, "Tyra, thank you. You've taken so much of my advice to heart, but that's the last thing I expected."

Puzzled, the Commissioner dryly remarks, "Would someone mind translating that the non-Irish speakers in the room?"

Her head resting on her mother's shoulder, Tyra lets out a contented sigh and translates. "'The darker the night is, the brighter the stars are.' Ancient wisdom from Irish tales concerning the Mother Goddess. Mother prefers to see Talent as tied to the dark powers, I prefer to consider it tied to the good powers, those aligned with the Mother Goddess." Another contented sigh, and Tyra adds "But I think she's finally ready to accept Talent instead of tolerating it as distasteful but useful."

Bolting awake, Tyra remembers Rachel and all her other charges. "Commissioner, can the two of us have a few hours together? I forgot about my charges – other kids with similar situations that I took under my wing. Most have Talent themselves, actually." she asks.

"Sure, take her and round them all up." he replies.

"Sir, if I could gesalt off of some generator, I could 'path them all from here. Have them come to us. What I need Angela for is to greet the others with me, show them this isn't all some sort of sick joke." Tyra elaborates.

"Sure, sure, go ahead and knock yourself out." the Commissioner replies, clearly having already dismissed the matter and not caring either way.

Thanking the Commissioner politely, Tyra pictures each of her charges in turn. Tapping into the gesalt and 'pathing them all the same message. _Tyra speaking. Code Blue, I repeat, Code Blue. Meet me at the Downtown assembly point STAT_.

"Finished with part one, sir. Shall we go and meet up with my friends, Mom?" I ask.

"Sure, why not?" Angela replies.

"Hold on to me then, we're going the short way." I warn her, well aware that she isn't completely comfortable with the fact that her daughter is a Talent.

Grabbing my arm, my mother nods. "Ready, Tyra."

Leaning into the gesalt again, I 'port the two of us to our destination.

Upon our arrival, Mom looks around. "What a dump!" she complains.

Laughing, I can't help teasing her a bit, "You were expecting the Hotel Royale, _leannán_?" I ask.

"You might be used to places like this, young lady, but I'm not! ... But that's my failing, not yours -- you did what you had to ... no, what I _forced_ you to do. _Tha mi duilich, leannán._" she replies.

"Lighten up, I was teasing. You've nothing to be sorry about, Mom."

"You're not a child any longer _leannán_. Please refer to me as 'Angela', as any other equal would." she admonishes.


End file.
